


Observations on Folk Music Within The Commonwealth

by gently_mad



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Gen, Headcanon, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 14:13:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13009554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gently_mad/pseuds/gently_mad
Summary: Headcanons about how folk music has evolved in the world of Fallout 4





	Observations on Folk Music Within The Commonwealth

**Author's Note:**

> Might work this up a bit later to make it sound like a Proper In-World Dissertation but for now here you go. Originally I had links to each of the song examples but I'm not sure if it's possible to do so on Ao3 eh well....They are all on youtube if you want to look them up and listen to them.
> 
> Eventually I’m going to do a Part 2 to this where I muse about how folk music has developed among ghouls, settlers, gunners, raiders, Atom Cats and super mutants. Maybe even a Part 3 focusing on religions like the Children of Atom and specific areas such as Diamond City and the coastline.

So I’m thinking the folksongs and other musical holotape recordings and such from the Library of Congress escaped the bomb generally unscathed and in the years that followed did what music does best; survived, spread and evolved. Copies of music recordings distributed themselves among the various cultures of the wastelands through the actions of scavengers and salvagers. In a savage world ripped apart by war, mutated horrors, rumors in the shadows and unimaginable hardship, folk music certainly made life a little more bearable and ingrained itself permanently in the wastelander’s heart. Holotapes and terminals full of copied music files became heirlooms and in areas where radio station signals might not reach or a radio itself might not be available or didn’t always work. memorized songs and oral music traditions were dutifully passed down through generations of families. 

For the major Fallout factions (i.e. the joinable ones)

THE MINUTEMEN

predictably they favor a lot of the patriotic colonial and revolutionary war-era ballads and marches, either sung alone or accompanied by fifes, drums, guitars and fiddles (these instruments either cobbled together by hand or scavenged from various abandoned museums and their gift shops) After the successful defense of Diamond City a ballad adapted from “Green Mountain Boys “ circulated for several years through the commonwealth praising the actions of the minutemen, though it is unclear if the song emerged from the ranks of the Minutemen themselves or was composed by an inhabitant of the city. With the recent revitalization of the group, the song became popular again though it is generally frowned upon within city limits for its blatant mockery of the Diamond City guards. A sample of the lyrics: 

“ From the south came the muties, our city to burn/to stew us and leave our guts for the worm/From the east came their mutts, slobberin’ acid and blood/to gnaw on our bones ‘n shit us out in the mud/Who’ll come to the rescue? The guards can’t be found. They’re benched in the Dugout, hell they ain’t stickin’ ‘round /So the yellacoats holler ”Hey greenskins play ball! Batter up, you big bastards. You ain’t taking The Wall! “/Cheer yeh-huh cheer! The Minutemen are here! Cheer yeh-huh cheer! The Minutemen are here! “ 

some minutemen favorites include: road to boston, over the hills and far away, soldier will you marry me, world turned upside down

 

THE BROTHERHOOD OF STEEL

The Brotherhood has a heavy military influence so their music is mostly army and air force cants and marching cadences, sung acapella without musical accompaniment. They are always sung throughout the day from sunrise to sunset during regular military exercises, maintenance work and mealtimes, with different cants used as calls to special activities such as evening assembly. Brass band style songs with drums, bugles, trumpets, etc. are considered more formal and such songs are only performed at ceremonies such as the ones for welcoming initiates, honoring the fallen dead, marriages, and attaining higher ranks. Divisions of the BOS generally keep a small band around to perform these songs, consisting of musically talented initiates under the guidance of a Junior Knight. The instruments themselves are antiques, part of a central collection that has been kept by the Brotherhood for centuries and are loaned out to the divisions as needed. Though the BOS doesn’t generally place priority on their personal history, some cadences refer to Roger Maxson, the Exodus and other notable events and people in Brotherhood lore.

One cadence sung in the early morning hours to rouse the troops for roll call, follows a call-and-response pattern and goes as such:

“You’re in the Brotherhood now/that’s right!/You’re not behind a plow/we’re not/You’ll never be rich/you sonavabitch!/You’re in the Brotherhood now!”

some brotherhood favorites include: hey there we’re gonna fly, I left my home, the army goes rolling along, old grads march

 

THE INSTITUTE

At first glance it would seem that the Institute has no real folk music tradition. Besides classical music of course, the scientists of the Institute favor experimental electronica and synthesized music. Cocktail lounge and bossa nova are also popular genres. They prefer instrumental music, considering it less of a distraction from their work (also nixing the temptation for themselves or a colleague to sing along which could also be a distraction) Interestingly enough, this atmosphere of isolation from the outside world and scientific experimentation gave rise to two rather unique forms of musical expression: pen-drum and crystallaphone, Pen drum is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: percussive music using pens and sometimes rulers for variety. It is popular among the younger scientists and children who favor its upbeat liveliness and spontaneity as well as its underlying tones of mild rebellion and deviation from the status quo. However it is strictly forbidden during work hours and pen-drumming, while tolerated, is generally looked at as an immature sort of musical amusement one is expected to grow out of. Crystallaphone on the other hand is well-respected, born out of creative uses for flasks and beakers as well as a solution for the inevitable breaking of said glass containers. Crystallaphones come in two forms: assembled which is basically a collection of containers filled with water at various levels or cylindrical, where broken glass is melted and reshaped into bowls attached in descending order to a rotating lathe. Both are played by wetting a finger in water and running it over the glass rims.

Two classic crystallaphone compositions that almost every Institute scientist knows by heart are “Algendonic Triboluminescence in D Minor “ and “Lament of the CIT/Great War “

some institute favorites include: song of the second moon, jet set, pen beats, the last transit of venus

 

THE RAILROAD

Members of the Railroad take their folk music inspiration from gandy dancer chants, prison worksongs, appalachian moonshiner culture and the original Underground Railroad. Given their line of work, many songs feature common themes of escape, the plight of the oppressed and downtrodden, defiance of authority and clever deception. Though the welfare of synths is their top priority, the Railroad also understands how a transportation network can be both a stabilizing influence in the region and benefit their own cause and in the past few years they have begun clearing and repairing the railways crisscrossing the Commonwealth. Presenting themselves as a loosely organized band of settlers, from outside of Lexington, they work with locals and scavengers for supplies and physical labor, and negotiate for the use of land if a railway happens to run through it. As a result, songs and chants specific to tasks such as unloading rails and tamping ties began spreading around settlements close to railway lines. One such song titled “Long Legged John “ quickly became a favorite, and is often heard floating across the wasteland: 

“ Old Long-Legged John/Oh he’s long gone/Like a mole-rat in the corn/He’s long gone/Well the Institute says/Give us ten-to-ten/And if a man should die/Well he’ll live again/Come on, sweet baby/Come and close the door/The Coursers are a-comin’/I won’t run no more “

The Railroad has been quick to take advantage of the popularity of this song, by using it as a code of sorts along with their railsigns. It’s served as a warning for nearby Courser activity, as a means to check if a safe house has been compromised or as a signal to notify other Railroad members that a synth has either been acquired or arrived safely at their destination.

some railroad favorites include: freight train, poor lazarus, darling cora, can’t you line ‘em


End file.
